NFL Star Michael Oher in Legal Row with Tuohy Family

Facts

• Michael Oher, the inspiration behind the Oscar-winning film The Blind Side, filed a petition on Monday claiming that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy never adopted him but instead used him as a "gullible" young man who could be "exploited for their own benefit."¹
• The former NFL star alleges that the Tuohys tricked him into signing Conservatorship papers he thought were necessary as part of his adoption. Oher's Conservatorship reportedly allowed the Tuohys total control of his contracts worth millions.²
• Conservatorship is a legal status in which a court appoints a parent or a guardian to manage the personal or financial affairs of someone incapable of managing them independently due to age or disability. Oher, however, was over 18 years old and had no diagnosed disabilities.³
• According to the legal filing, Oher only discovered in February 2023 that the Tuohys had been lying to him and the public since at least 2004 by claiming that he had been adopted. In fact, Oher said he had no familial relationship with his purportedly adoptive parents.⁴
• In addition, Oher claims the Tuohys negotiated a deal with 20th Century Fox for The Blind Side that left him without any payment. However, the family reportedly received a contract price of $225K and 2.5% of the film's net proceeds.⁵
• Oher has requested the Tennessee state court end the Conservatorship, bar the Tuohys from using his name, image, and likeness, and order the family to provide his fair share of the earnings made from his story, plus interest and punitive damages.⁶

Sources: ¹Insider, ²CNN, ³BBC News, ⁴Time, ⁵NBC, and ⁶Forbes.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Slate. Though details of the ex-NFL star's story remain murky, these allegations expose how easily Americans have accepted a cinematic depiction as the gospel truth behind Oher's adoption into a white family. The Blind Side has long looked like the perfect example of interracial harmony, however, the adoption may have been a lie and Oher never received a dime from the movie's proceeds.
• Narrative B, as provided by New York Post. While Oher may feel frustrated over not receiving much money for the movie, he shouldn't have stabbed the family that embraced him as their own in the back. He was fully aware that the Tuohys had always wanted him to be legally part of the family but that a Conservatorship was the only option available at the time. This bombshell development is awful news for the Tuohys, who have spent years caring for Oher.